


Incriminating Evidence

by MissOfTheTruestBlades



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, one-sided lust, secret pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 06:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10431552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissOfTheTruestBlades/pseuds/MissOfTheTruestBlades
Summary: Inspired by Season 1 Episode 52 of GMM.Link's deepest secrets are strewn across the internet for everyone to see.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've now written 3 one-shots of Rhett and Link in the last two days. Somebody stop me please. Also why are they mostly angsty? That probably says something about me.  
> Comments and kudos much appreciated! They make me feel validated.
> 
> -M

“Liinkkkk!!” yelled Rhett from their office at Mythical Entertainment. That was not a happy yell, Link knew. That was the yell of really terrible news. He ran across the set of GMM and into the office, skidding to a stop in front of Rhett, who was seated at his desk, a look on his face that Link, if he had to guess, was a cross between concerned, embarrassed and angry. When Rhett didn’t speak Link prompted him.  
“What? You can’t yell like that and then not say anything man. What’s wrong? Are our families okay?” Rhett just pulled Link in front of his computer and wordlessly pointed at the screen. On it was a news article titled in bold print “Youtuber’s Dark Secrets Revealed.” Link scanned the article, heart sinking and stomach clenching. Way back in season 1 of GMM he had told the story of his journal, amongst other things, being stolen out of a car in Washington D.C. At the time, he and Rhett had joked about the thief reading all of Link’s juicy secrets and posting them on the internet. It seemed that now, years later, the journal had resurfaced in the hands of someone who must have recognised the names, and sold the information to a tabloid.   
Link had said that he didn’t remember what sort of stuff he’d written in his journal. That wasn’t exactly true. He didn’t remember specifics; memories of arbitrary days had long vanished from his mind. But he certainly knew the theme that threaded throughout the written pages. It was the same theme that ran through his current journal – his confusion and despair over his lust for his best friend Rhett.   
The entries were spaced out, and he would go months without mentioning Rhett in any way more than friendly. But then his feelings would overwhelm him and he would write page after page of the conflicts of his soul when thinking about his love for his wife and his lust for Rhett. How he didn’t know how he could keep going without acting on it, how he was confused because he was straight, wasn’t he? Even the occasional description of a lurid dream would make its way into the pages of his journals. All of that was now smeared across the internet for anyone in the world to see. And Rhett had seen it. Oh god. Rhett had seen it.   
Link started to panic. There, in paragraph one, was his identity, and mention of GMM. There, in paragraph 2, a description of his beautiful family. Paragraph 3, mention of the episode talking about the theft. Paragraph 4, an entry on his lust. Paragraph 15, about one of his dreams. And right at the end, a shot of the bottom of an entry, where he had ended it as he always did, with his signature. He was so fucked.   
Rhett could perhaps have handled the situation a bit more delicately. He had been so stunned he hadn’t paused to think before yelling Link’s name, subconsciously assuming that it was all a mistake and Link would have a perfectly logical explanation for all of it. An early April Fool’s joke or something. But there was that picture of Link’s signature, signed the way it had been for years, like it was on every contract the pair finalised, every Christmas card and birthday gift tag. It was undeniable.   
Of course, it was possible the tabloids had exaggerated, blown everything out of proportion like they often did. But then again, they clearly had the actual journal, had in fact quoted directly from it several times. The article had been published 3 hours before, and Rhett had seen it because some of their fans began to paste links to it in the comment section of their most recent episode of GMM. Rhett had ignored it at first, but after the 10th comment with the same link, curiosity had won out. And here they were.  
Shaking his head to clear it, Rhett looked at Link. He was ghostly pale, swaying on his feet like he was about to pass out, eyes glued unwaveringly to the screen that sealed his fate. Rhett was pissed that Link had gotten them into this situation, but he also knew that it wasn’t really Link’s fault, and just because he had thoughts and feelings that Rhett didn’t even want to think about didn’t mean he’d ever acted on them. They were just thoughts, dealt with and left behind on a page. Or many, many pages, but nevertheless. Rhett grabbed Link by the shoulders and steered him backwards onto their couch.   
“R-r-rhett. I. S-s-sorry. I’m so sorry,” was the whispered phrase that barely escaped Link’s mouth. Then his eyes widened and he grabbed the garbage can that was next to the couch and threw up violently, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. When he was done, Rhett took the can from him and brought him a towel to clean his face with. Then he sat down next to his best friend.   
“Listen Link. I can’t say that I’m not pissed and frankly a little freaked out. This isn’t exactly an everyday situation, and god knows how our wives are going to react to this. But it’s going to be okay, got it? No matter what, this will work itself out and things will go back to normal. We’ll figure it out okay? And even though I’m mad, I’m always gonna be your best friend and I’ll always have your back. So please don’t die right in front of me here, and take some deep breaths so we can deal with this.”  
Link looked at him then, finally making eye contact with the man sitting next to him. He nodded sharply and got up to get some water. When he came back he was looking more composed.   
“No matter what I wrote, I love my wife,” Link started when he sat back down.  
“I know.”  
“And even if I said I couldn’t control myself, I was never gonna make a move on you.”  
“I know that too.”  
“I just really need – needed – to get it out somehow. So I wrote it. Nobody was ever supposed to know.” At the present tense slip-up, Rhett looked harder at his friend.   
“Link…this was some phase you went through years ago, right? It’s all over, like years over, right?” Link swallowed nervously, prominent Adam’s apple bobbing. He sighed deeply, defeated.  
“No Rhett. It’s like an addiction. I distract myself and I abstain, keep control. But I always crave it in the back of my mind. Getting to touch you, you touching me…sometimes I can’t breathe when you smile at me.” He stopped, blushing and turning his back to Rhett.  
“You know I don’t – can’t – reciprocate.” It was more a statement than a question.   
“Yeah.” The dejected response.   
“But we’ll deal with this. It’ll go back to normal.” Link felt Rhett was trying to reassure himself more than anything.   
“Yeah,” confirmed Link. But he was lying. He knew nothing would be the same again.


End file.
